The following two poems were written by incarcerated veterans.There are numerous prisoners, men and women, who have served on the battlefields of this country and for various reasons have fell into the bonds of incarceration. Having the experience of all three worlds, the “free world” The “military wold and the prison world, most do not discern that they are not far from one another. Each world has its own set of rules and guidelines for taxes. Each world has its own prejudices and forms of nepotism. Each world favors the the rich or well endowed and justice is not equal.
Prisonworld Magazine has been speaking to the issues of the prison industrial complex and prison reform since 2007. There are many ways that the common man can help to see change in the free world, the military world and the prison world. It only took one man to walk on the moon. One man can make a difference.
Criminal Minded
Some People say I have a criminal mind
But a wasted intelligence is really my
crime
God has blessed me with wisdom and
understanding
Yet still I wait for the world to be
handed to me
The weight of the world would feel
heavy on my shoulders
The fire of my ambition would just sit
there and smolder
Instead of using intellect to achieve
positive solutions
Coming and deception seemed to be
my infinite resolution.
Is it the ease of the forward way that
appealed to me?
Or the challenge presented to live a life
of honesty?
Maybe after all I’m not really that
smart.
Considering I’ve allowed my
cunningness to tear my world apart!
Now I shall flip all this upside down,
Work to remove the barriers, instead of
trying to go around.
I will use morals, integrity, and pure
common sense
To live a decent life, and remain on the
right side of the fence.
And when all is finished, all said and
done
I will overcome.
But a wasted intelligence is really my
crime
God has blessed me with wisdom and
understanding
Yet still I wait for the world to be
handed to me
The weight of the world would feel
heavy on my shoulders
The fire of my ambition would just sit
there and smolder
Instead of using intellect to achieve
positive solutions
Coming and deception seemed to be
my infinite resolution.
Is it the ease of the forward way that
appealed to me?
Or the challenge presented to live a life
of honesty?
Maybe after all I’m not really that
smart.
Considering I’ve allowed my
cunningness to tear my world apart!
Now I shall flip all this upside down,
Work to remove the barriers, instead of
trying to go around.
I will use morals, integrity, and pure
common sense
To live a decent life, and remain on the
right side of the fence.
And when all is finished, all said and
done
I will overcome.
Concrete Womb
The Cage, is my temporary home,
It contains my heart,
It holds my soul in its hard cold mind,
It clutches me to its iron bosom…
The Walls, are constant companions,
They embody me as if to shield me,
They hold me in the lonely nights,
I see them first when I awake…
The Cell, is my teacher,
It has taught me the value of freedom,
It has taught me the strength of solitude,
It has taught me the inadequacy of justice…
The Prison, is my mother,
It feeds me when I am hungry,
It disciplines me when I do wrong,
She will have to let me go…someday!
Prisonworld 2008-2011
